In an attempt to downplay the attention on their romance, the actress and the mother! director decided against posing as a couple at the Venice Film Festival Tuesday. Instead, MichellePfeiffer acted as a buffer between them, with Javier Bardem joining all three on the press line. After their photo call ended, Aronofsky, Bardem, Lawrence and Pfeiffer attended the premiere.

Aronofsky's psychological horror film, which he wrote, follows a young woman (Lawrence) whose peaceful life with her husband (Bardem) at their home is disrupted by a cryptic couple (Ed Harris and Pfeiffer). The film's A-list cast also includes Domhnall Gleeson and Kristen Wiig.

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Lawrence, 26, was drawn to Aronofsky, 48, during the film's production. "We had energy," she recalled in Vogue's September issue. "I had energy for him. I don't know how he felt about me." Though she's rarely spoken about her personal relationship with the director, Lawrence said, "I've been in relationships before where I am just confused, and I'm never confused with him."

The actress is especially excited for fans to see mother! (in theaters Sept. 15), as she believes it's one of Aronofsky's best films to date. "When I saw the movie, I was reminded all over again how brilliant he is," she gushed. "For the past year, I've been dealing with him as just a human."

If early reviews are any indication, mother! will be polarizing. The Hollywood Reporter's ToddMcCarthy, for example, described the movie as "a very Rosemary's Baby-like intimate horror tale that definitely grabs your attention and eventually soars well over the top to make the bold concluding statement that, for some creators, art is more important than life." The Telegraph's Robbie Collin, meanwhile, called it "a shocking, surrealist, symphonically berserk feast of filth."

After mother! was screened at the Venice Film Festival, it received both boos and rave reviews.